Tank patch holder



July 5, 1955 A. YURDlN TANK PATCH; HOLDER Filed Sept. 311, 1952 ilnitedStates Patent 2,712,326 TANK PATCH HOLDER Alfred Yurdin, Newark, N. J.Application September 11, 1952, Serial No. 308,964 Claims. (Cl. 138-99)This invention relates to patches for tanks or other vessels thatcontain liquid. It is a common experience, even with oil tanks, to haverust holes form in the wall of the tank, particularly the bottom wall.In oil tanks the accumulation of water within the tank, which sinks tothe bottom, causes the rusting. In water tanks, the rusting is likely tooccur at any location on the tank.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved installed, andthe oil then has to be trans new tank.

Another object of the invention is to provide a patch which will cover asubstantial area of a tank or other merous small holes in the samegeneral area.

One of the difiiculties encountered in the application of large patchesto tanks is that piping, supporting brackets or legs and otherconnections often make it impossible tions and with tanks of any sizeand shape.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear orbe pointed out as the description proceeds.

In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like referencecharacters indicate corresponding parts in all the views:

Figure 1 is a sectional view through a cylindrical tank to which hasbeen applied one of the patches of this invention,

Figure 2 is a greatly enlarged rear view of the patch, shown in Figure1, before it is applied to the tank,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is an enlarged detailed view of the tensioner used to connectthe opposite ends of the strap in Figure 1, and

ing a strap 15 which is preferably a thin strip of metal havingrelatively high tensile strength. The opposite ends of the strap 15 areconnected with a clamp or tensioning element 17 which is operated topull the ends of the strap together so as to hold the patch 13 in firmcontact with the poro s region of the tank.

sheet steel, but can be made of other materials. A soft, resilientfacing 21 is adhesively secured to the backing plate 20, and the facing21 is many times as thick as the backing plate 20. Neoprene is aparticularly satisfactory material for the facing 21, but otherliquid-proof facing materials can be used.

Two strap holders 23 are connected to the backing plate 20 at spacedlocations intermediate the ends of the backing plate.

of the invention.

Each of these strap holders 23 is connected to the backing plate by arivet 24 and it is a feature of the invention that the rivets are looseenough to permit the brackets 26 and 27 closely together with resultingincrease in the tension of the strap 15 around the tank. Loosening Theconstruction of the invention, which enables the strap to obtain a pullhaving a substantial component normal to the surface of the tank, isparticularly important in adapting the invention for tanks of differentcurvature, and even for tanks which have portions of their walls ilat.One common type of oil tank has curved top and bottom walls withstraight side walls between them. The invention can be applied to suchtanks, including the fiat sides; and when applied to a flat side thestrap 15 pulls downwardly at an angle from the opposite edges of thebacking plate and forms straight runs tangent to the curved walls of thetank at the ends of the flat side.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 show various ways in which the patch can be appliedto tanks in which the long dimension of the porous area may extendeither longitudinally or circumferentially, and in which pipes mayinterfere with the locating of the strap around the portion of the tankwhich has the leak. Figure shows the patch 13 with its long dimensionextending circumferentially and with the patch held by a single strap15, which extends around the tank along a course that lies in a planenormal to the tank axis.

Figure 6 shows the patch 13 applied to a porous area which has itsgreatest extent in a direction lengthwise of the tank, and undercircumstances in which a pipe 38 interferes with the placing of thestraps. Since the patch 13 extends longitudinally along the tank, twostraps 15 are used. These straps are placed at an angle to a planenormal to the tank axis so as to pass on opposite sides of the pipe 38.The strap holders 23 are turned into positions to accommodate thedirection in which the straps 15 extend.

Figure 7 shows another situation in which the strap holders 23 have tobe turned at an angle to the long dimension of the patch 13. in theinstallation illustrated in this figure, the greatest extent of theporous area is at an acute angle to the length of the tank; but thestraps 15' can be placed so that they extend in directions which lie inparallel planes normal to the tank axis.

From the examples illustrated in Figures 57, it will be apparent thatthe patch 1.3 can be located with any orientation on the tank 10, and atany location around the circumference of the tank; and that it can beheld against the tank by one or more straps 15 in spite of obstructionsin the normal path which the straps 15 would follow.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed but changes and modifications can be made and some featurescan be used in different combinations Without departing from theinvention as defined in the claims.

I claim for my invention:

1. A tank patch for covering side of a tank, which region is of greaterextent, either axially or longitudinally of the tank, than the width ofthe patch, said patch comprising a relatively stifi, flexible backingplate of greater length than width, a soft, resilient facing on one sideof the backing plate and substantially coextensive therewith, strapholders on the other side of the backing plate and intermediate the endsof the backing plate, the strap holder having channels for straps andbeing spaced from one another in the direction of the length of thebacking plate, a pivot connection securing each of the strap holders tothe patch and about which the strap holders are rotatable to turn themangularly from positions in which the channels are in alignment with oneanother, for holding a single strap, to positions in which the channelsare parallel to one another or at various angles to one another forholding two straps that straddle a pipe extending from the side of thetank and for holding the patch with its length extending in variousdirections according to the direction of the greatest extent of theleakage region, at least one flexible strap for fastening across thebacking plate to hold the patch in position on the tank, and a tensionerconnecting a leakage region in the comprising a single 4 the oppositeends of the strap for tightening the strap around the tank.

2. A tank patch for covering a leakage region in the side of a tank,which region is of greater extent, either axially or longitudinally ofthe tank, than the width of the patch, said patch including a relativelystiff, flexible backing plate which is of greater length than width andnormally flat but bendable in any direction to accommodate the curvatureof tanks of different shape and different radius, a soft, resilientfacing secured to the front of the plate and substantially coextensivetherewith, at least one thin, flexible strap for attaching the plate tothe tank, strap holders on the back of the plate and spaced from oneanother in the direction of the length of the plate, the strap holderscomprising channels through which the strap passes with the sides of thechannels preventing transverse displacement of the strap in the holders,fastening means attaching the strap holders to the backing plate, thefastening means for each holder pivoted connection about which the strapholder is angularly movable to turn it from a position in which thechannel is in alignment with the channel of the other strap holder andinto various angular positions with respect to the length of the backingplate, a tensioner connecting the opposite ends of the strap fortightening the strap on a tank.

3. The tank patch described in claim 2 characterized by strap holderswhich comprise undercut channels having a maximum inside widthsubstantially equal to the width of the strap so as to prevent anysubstantial transverse movement of the patch with respect to one or morestraps which are passed through the strap holders.

4. A tank patch for covering a leakage region in the side of a tank,which region is of greater extent, either axially or longitudinally ofthe tank, than the width of the patch, said patch comprising arelatively stiff, flexible backing plate, which is normally flat butbendable equally in all directions to accommodate tanks of differentcontour and different radius of curvature, and to accommodate itself tolocation at different angles to the axial extent of the tank surface, asoft, resilient, liquid-proof, facing material having a thickness manytimes as great as that of the backing plate, the facing material beingsubstantially coextensive with the backing plate, a plurality of strapholders connected to the backing plate at spaced locations intermediatethe end and side edges of the backing plate, the strap holders havingundercut channels and being connected to the backing plate by pivotedconnections on which the respective strap holders are rotatable aboutaxes normal to the backing plate from positions in which the channels ofthe strap holders are in alignment with one another, for holding asingle strap, to positions in which the channels are parallel to oneanother or at various angles to one another for holding two straps thatstraddle a pipe extending from a side of the tank and for holding thepatch with its length extending in various directions according to thedirection of greatest extent of the leakage region, a plurality of thin,flexible straps, one for each strap holder, the width of the strapsbeing substantially equal to that of the undercut channels, a tensionerfor each strap, the tensioner having two brackets connected by athreaded fastening by which the brackets canbe pulled closely together,each of the brackets having a slot with a side edge around which one endof the strap is snubbed and the end portion of the strap being turnedback along the other portion of the strap leading to the bracket, and aclip holding the turned back portion of the strap and said other portiontogether immediately behind the slot edge around which the strap issnubbed.

5. A tank patch for covering a leakage region in the side of a tank,which region is axially or longitudinally of the tank, than the width ofthe patch, said patch having a back face, a plurality of strap holdersspaced from one another in the direction of the of greater extent,either length of the back face and located intermediate the ReferencesCited in the file of this patent edges of the back face, and fasteningmeans pivotally UNITED STATES PATENTS connecting each of the strapholders to the patch, the

strap holders being movable about the fastening means Z 1905 frompositions in which the longitudinal axes of the 5 1384566 Framer Septstrap holders are in alignment with one another to posi- 2504881 Russell1930 tions in which said axes are parallel to one another or 2586640Furman 1952 at various angles to one another for attaching the patchFOREIGN PATENTS to the tank under diiferent conditions including thatWhere 372 079 France Feb 9 1907 the two straps straddle a pipe extendingfrom a side of 10 648581 Great igg Jan 1951 the tank, and conditionswhere the patch has its length

